Brandon Roy scored 20 points, Greg Oden won his first pro game in his hometown, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Indiana Pacers 95-85 on Wednesday night. The win was Portland’s first at Conseco Fieldhouse since March 17, 2003.
The Trail Blazers jumped on the Pacers early, building a 20 point lead in the second quarter. Indiana drew to within 11 points before the intermission, but Portland, behind the play of Roy, Steve Blake and Joel Przybilla, push the lead back to 23 in the second half.
“We came out and established ourselves,” said Nate McMillan. “We needed to challenge every pass and every cut they made. We had a quick start and that’s important, especially on the road. You do that and you give yourself a chance.”
Travis Outlaw had 15 points, and Steve Blake added 14 points and eight assists for the Trail Blazers.
“We were able to do a little bit of everything,” said Blake. "Our coaching staff has done a great job of preparing us and getting us ready for every aspect. Tonight, we were able to dig deep and do what we needed to do to get a win. It was huge for us to get up on them early.”
Przybilla ended the night with yet another double-double, tallying ten points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Rudy Fernandez had his best performance since missing two games with a sore chest, finishing with 13 points and three rebounds.
Oden, the top pick in the 2007 draft, returned to Portland's lineup after missing more than a month because of a bone chip in his left knee. He finished with four points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot in 12 minutes.
“I feel good” said Oden. “I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things. Not try to rush it. Next time I hope to be out there for a little bit longer. I’m just trying to get in the groove, get in the flow with my teammates. Try not to do too much. The knee feels fine. No problems at all.”
Indiana's Danny Granger had 35 points and 10 rebounds in his first start since leaving a game Feb. 18 against Charlotte because of a partially torn tendon in his right foot. Indiana's Troy Murphy sat out with a left calf contusion.
LaMarcus Aldridge sustained a grade 1 concussion in the fourth quarter of tonight's game at Indiana. Aldridge was taken to an Indianapolis hospital for further evaluation. He is expected to rejoin the team Thursday in Cleveland, but is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Cavaliers.
Forward Nic Batum, also injured in the fourth quarter, sustained a grade 1 left ankle sprain. He is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game at Cleveland.
The Trail Blazers improved to 2-1 on the current road trip with games against the Cavaliers and Bucks on the horizon. The win completed a season sweep of the Pacers, which was also the 10th season sweep of the season for the Trail Blazers.
With the victory, the Trail Blazers kept pace in the Northwest Division race, remaining just a half game behind the Denver Nuggets.
The Trail Blazers are right back at it tomorrow against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Tipoff is schedule for 5 p.m. The game will air on Comcast SportsNet Channel 37, and Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey will have the radio call on 95.5 The Game and on all the stations of the Trail Blazers Radio Network.
